2016 Audi S4 revealed

- Read all the latest news from the 2015 Frankfurt motor show here

Audi sprang a surprise at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show by pulling the wraps of its new S4 model.

While the A4 is currently in its launch phase in Europe, the announcement of the new S4 took many by surprise.

Details of Australian-specification models were also leaked at the same time.

Expect a single version of the S4 with a 3.0-litre turbocharged petrol V6 engine producing 260kW of power and 500Nm of torque, enough to sling the swoopy Audi to 100km/h in about 4.7 seconds.

Quattro all-wheel-drive will be the basis of the platform and we can also expect a conventional eight-speed automatic transmission rather than a DSG-style gearbox, which helps reduce fuel consumption to a claimed 7.4L/100km.

The all-wheel drive system naturally apportions 60 percent of the engine's torque to the rear axle under normal driving but can transmit as much as 70 percent to the front or 85 percent to the rear depending on conditions. Like its predecessor, an electronically-controlled locking rear differential can be optioned to further enhance its sporty driving character.

Expect Australian deliveries to begin in the second half of next year following the regular A4 models, which are due earlier in 2016.